This letter was unexpected but we were thrilled to receive it. Its even sweeter because its written by the husband. Have a read, were so, so proud of what we do. We had been together for 5 years, and right after getting married we decided to try to get pregnant. After trying for a year without success, we went to seek help at a fertility center in Los Angeles. There are many options here, and so after some research we found a center with a great reputation and success rate. First we tried a round of IUI, but that proved unsuccessful. During the consultation afterwards, the doctor told us the bad news - my wife’s AMH levels were very low (0.36), indicating a very low ovarian reserve. He told us that we had a very slim chance of conceiving and that while an IVF round may be successful, we should consider donor eggs as my wife’s chances where 15% on the first IVF cycle and several likely will be needed. Distraught but unconvinced, we took our medical records with us and decided to look for other options. After doing a lot of research online and weighing our options, we decided to make a vacation out of the experience and look for centers out of country. We had conducted telephone consultations with several facilities after sending our previous cycle results, and each of them suggested the same thing - tandem IVF or donor eggs. Finally, we contacted Barbados Fertility Center and scheduled a consultation with Dr. Skinner. From the earliest moments of our phone conversation, we were convinced that Barbados was the place for us. Dr. Skinner not only showed great compassion and knowledge for our situation, but also highlighted the fact that my wife being 34 with low AMH indicate less eggs but we should focus on quality not quantity. After so many negative responses from previous facilities such as getting pregnant is not possible, it’s highly unlikely or that it will require donor eggs, her positivity compelled us to also be positive and we immediately started making plans to travel to Barbados. We met Anna via email to begin the coordination process, and again were pleasantly surprised with the professionalism and kindness with which she helped answer our questions and quiet our concerns. Finally we didn’t feel like a number as we did in Los Angeles, but rather as a couple looking to start a family. Deciding to travel internationally for a fertility treatment meant that a lot of logistical planning had to be done - from accommodations to flight plans to medication ordering and shipment. But in spite the extra work, the rewards were plentiful. Barbados is a beautiful island, with many opportunities to relax and stay stress free - a very important ingredient to any successful fertility treatment. The beaches were some of the best that we had seen, and we indeed vacation to places with an unofficial goal of finding the best beaches in the world as part of our bucket list. The staff was experienced and polite, the facility was state of the art, and with careful planning and preparation the whole process was much easier than we had anticipated. My wife was most impressed with the degree of care from the entire staff. From the moment you walk in the clinic you are greeted with a warm welcome and that extends to every nurse and doctor we met. Dr. Juliet Skinner and Dr. Roberta Corona were so caring and sweet and that was very important to my wife as the process can be intimidating for a first timer. Two weeks after returning home from Barbados we were so happy to have a positive pregnancy test and we are incredibly grateful for this gift. We look at each other every day and think how far we have come in a few short months - from being told there is little chance of getting pregnant to 12 weeks along with our miracle. We would have been in a very different situation had we not believed in ourselves. We didn’t want to accept the business-like approach we were presented with at other clinics. Thankfully we found the Barbados Fertility Clinic. The experience and compassion there, coupled with the beauty and relaxed environment of Barbados, no doubt contributed to our outcome.
Posted on: Wed, 29 Oct 2014 17:54:46 +0000
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